States of Mind
by Browncoat Gater
Summary: Okay so this is a new work in progress. I have some idea of where I am going...I think. As always comments are welcome but please be kind.
1. Chapter 1

"Come on, Carter. You agreed to this." Jack's voice is insistent as he move a little faster to catch up to the woman in front of him. "You can't just go back on you word. Its not....honorable."

"I'd love to. I really would." Sam responds as stops and pivots to face him. "But there are just too many things around here that need my attention."

"Oh, don't give me that..." He shoots her an exaggerated scowl. "That _"I'm indispensable everywhere."_ excuse is getting old." _(Even if it is true.)_ "I could make it an order." He adds as he pulls the _rank_ card again.

"Nice try, Colonel, but I really don't think _fishing_ is something you can order your subordinates to do." Sam remarks with a smiles a she turns and begins to walk again. "Nice try though."

_(Colonel...? Did she just call you Colonel?)_ Jack stares at Sam's back as she moves farther away. It is then that he notices he is standing in one of the familiar corridors of Stargate Command. _(How did I get here...)_ Looking down he finds himself dressed some old beat up, olive drab BDUs instead of the uncomfortable Air Force dress blues he had gotten used too. _(Something is so wrong here!)_

When he looks up again, Samantha is no longer any where in sight. (_Okay time to get some answers.)_ Jack moves quickly through the hallway following the path he is sure Sam went. As he rounds the next corner he sees the open door that leads to her lab but what he finds more than expected as reaches it.

Inside the lab, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c are all sitting around the lab table laughing, well minus the laughing for Teal'c, at some unheard conversation. After a minute all the laughter stops and all eyes turn to Jack who is standing just inside the doorway.

"It's about time you got here, Colonel. We were just mentioning how someone should really get you an alarm clock." Sam teases giving no hint as to remember their brief conversation just moments ago.

_(Huh...?)_ Complete and total confusion spread through Jack's mind as he stares at the trio. _(Definitely. Something is definitely wrong with this picture. His hair should be shorter, hers should be longer and his...well he should HAVE hair...)_ "What is going on?"

"We were waiting for you so that General Hammond could get the next briefing underway. Why..." Daniel's eyes flash between confusion and concern as he looks from Jack to Sam and then back. "...what do you think is going on?"

_(General Hammond...okay enough Mister Nice Guy.)_ "If I knew then I wouldn't be asking now would I, Daniel?!" Jack shouts as he points at the him. "If that is even your real name."

"You know it is, Jack." Daniel stands up and moves around to the end of the table, closer to his friend. "I'm Daniel Jackson. We have known each other for years."

"Oh, have I now." Jack's eyes scan the faces of his _friends_ searching for something, anything to explain the doubt that was now infecting his gut. "Because I am seriously beginning to doubt that I _know_ any of you."

The trio exchange a look but Jack is unsure what to make of their expressions. Confusion. Concern. Fear. When they look at him again it is Teal'c that speaks this time. "I believe you are unwell, O'Neill. Perhaps Dr. Fraiser should examine you."

"I think Teal'c's right, Colonel." Sam agrees as stands and moves toward him. "We should get you to the infirmary."

"No, no!" _(Enough with the dead people already...)_ "There is no way I'm letting any of you...you...whatever you are near me." Jack begins to back away toward the door only to find a pair of MPs behind him. "I don't know who you are but I know you are not _them_!" He shouts as the soldiers grab him before he can escape.

At his words the three exchange _that_ look again before turning back to face him. "This one has strength." 'Daniel' says to the others.

"Yes, but it will not last." answers 'Teal'c'.

Walking up to the restrained man, 'Sam' traces a finger along his jaw as a sinister grin crosses her lips. "Because _we_ know his weakness."

Around him the room begins to ripple as it slowly fades away taking Sam and the other with it. It is replaced with dark, dank room. He tries to move only to find himself still restrained. No longer by the 'MPs', but some strange metallic straps running from his chest down to his ankles with his head being the only part of him he can actually move. _(Great...a prisoner...again.)_ Closing his eyes, Jack sighs as he lets his rest against whatever was behind it.

Taking a deep breath a pungent odor hits his nose cause him to groan in disgust. _(Why can't I ever be taken prisoner in a bakery...)_ A small smirk crosses his lips at the thought. _(Stop it! You need to be thinking about escape!)_ Opening his eyes, Jack begins searching...well trying to search the darkness for anything that could help him out of this predicament but instead he finds the unconscious body of a familiar blonde woman strapped up like him

"Carter..." Jack's voice seems to echo as he calls to her. "Carter, wake up."

"She will not hear you, General O'Neill. She cannot hear you."

A new voice catches Jack's attention. His eyes look for the speaker but can no one in the darkness. _(Oh, God...)_ Fear begins to fill his eyes as he turn back to still body of Colonel Samantha Carter.

"No, she is not dead." A second voice states as if answers an unspoken question. "We have not harmed her."

"Who are you?" His eyes stay on Sam before then looking into the shadows. "What have you done to her?"

"She is our guest. As you all are our guests."

"Well, where we come from you don't knock out and tie up your _guests_." Jack's head pivots toward yet another voice as he spits out his response.

"We are aware of your ways."

"But they are not our ways."

The voices get closer as each one speaks but as hard as he tries Jack can't make out any of them as they approach him. Suddenly he feels a sharp prick in his neck and the cool push of something being injected into him.

"Soon you will accept that our way is the only way." These are the last words he hears before his mind slips into nothingness.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack's eyes pop open as he sits up suddenly. The room around him is still dark but is familiar this time. His eyes dart around the dim room, registering as his bedroom. Closing his eyes he lays back and lets out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. "What the Hell was that?" He groans bringing his hand up to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"I told you not to eat all that spicy food before bed."

_What the…?_ Jack freezes at the feminine voice coming from across the room. _I'm still dreaming…I gotta be._

"Was it one of those _alien_ dreams again?" The voice is closer this time but Jack's hand doesn't move. Even when he feels the bed dip slightly beside him. A soft hand gently grabs his wrist and pulls his hand away from his face. "Jack…? It was just a nightmare."

The tension in Jack's muscles begins to relax as the woman's warm hands caress his between them. "I know…it just seemed so…" His words stop as his eyes open and see the woman holding his hand. "Carter?"

"Not that is something I haven't heard in a while." Sam smiles warmly as she continues to stroke his hand. "That dream must have shaken you more than I thought."

"Yeah…" He stares at the woman sitting beside him not quite understanding what was going on. He is just about to ask when the silence in the room is cut by the sound of crying in the distance.

"Here we go again…" Sam looks toward the door for a moment before turning back to him. "You just stay here and relax. I'll cover your turn this one time." She smiles again before releasing his hands making a quick exit out the open door.

_My turn…_ Jack sits up again trying to make since of the mystery unwinding around him. Turning to check the clock on his bedside table he is shocked to see a picture of him and Sam sitting behind it. Picking up the frame he studies the image, amazed at how well the black suit fits and how stunning Carter looks in elegant white dress. _This can't be…_

Laying the photo down, Jack gets to his feet and quickly follows Sam. Down the hallway there is a soft light flowing out from an open door. As gets closer he can hear Sam's gentle hum. The sound is so natural that is almost seems right but Jack can't shake that funny feeling tingling in the back of his mind.

"Carter, I want to know…" Every word, every thought, every action instantly screeches to a halt as he enters the room. Directly across from him is Samantha Carter in a pale peach nightgown, cradling a baby as she rock slowing in a rocking chair.

"Jack, hush." She scolds him is low voice. "You woke him up once already. If you do it again you are spending the rest of the night in here." Her attention turns back to the little bundle in her arms. "You would make a perfect little alarm clock for Daddy now wouldn't you…"

_Daddy…what…how…when…?_ Jack can't seem to formulate a coherent thought as he continues to stare slack jawed at the scene in front of him.

"I'm joking, Jack." Sam smiles as she look back at Jack. Concern fills her face as she watches at her husband. Carefully getting to her feet she walks over him, she reaches up with one hand and gently cups his face. "Are you okay? You're beginning to scare me."

The contact of her skin on his pulls Jack out of his haze. His eyes flash between her face and that of the sleeping infant in her other arm. "Something is not right…." He looks into her eyes, "None of this seems familiar."

Sam's lips twist into a small frown. "Well, Dr. Warner said this might happen."

"Said what might happen?"

"Memory loss. From the accident." She strokes his cheek a few times before turning and moving over to lay the baby back in his crib. Turning again she walks back over to him and wraps her arm around his waist, resting her head on his chest. "I was just happy you were all right that I tried to tune out everything else he was saying."

"I was in an accident? How?"

Sam shifts to look up at him but doesn't let him go. "I sent you out for diapers and some jerk ran a red light." She shivers at the memory, "He broadsided the bed of your truck and sent you spinning. You were very lucky that you walked away with just a concussion."

_Wait…Dr. Warner?_ "Dr. Warner…is that Bill Warner? You…work with him."

"Yes," She smiles at his memory. "The quack at the hospital pissed me off so I called Bill in to take over."

"I don't remember any of that. The accident. The hospital. Nothing." Jack's arms wrap around the warm body pressed to him. _You can't remember anything before the "accident" either, genius._ The nagging little voice at the back of his head starts to fade.

"That is not surprising." Sam say as she rest her head against his chest again, reveling in his embrace. "I wish I didn't remember any of it either."

"But why can't I remember anything else either."

"Dr. Warner said the injury to your head could cause both short and/or long term memory loss. He's not if or what will come back." Sam squeezes tighter against him not wanting to be having this conversation. Stepping back out of his arms, she grabs his hand. "Come on, let's go back to bed."

Her words ring in his head as he allows himself to be guided. His eyes drift over her curvy frame as he tries to remember what she looks like under that smooth fabric but at every turn he comes up blank. _Yeah…you think you'd remember something like that now, huh?_ Jack tries to shake off the uneasy thought as follows Sam into darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

When Jack opens his eyes again he is surrounded by complete darkness. A strange yet familiar smell assaults his nostrils. There is a sharp pounding in head but when he tries to rub his brow he finds himself securely fastened with metal straps holding him still again a smooth surface. _What the…?_

For some reason this all seems familiar but Jack cannot seem to remember from where. Panic begins to set in as he struggles to try and free himself. As he tugs and thrashes around he can feel the tension of straps beginning to loosen. Soon his efforts are rewarded with the welcoming sound of a click and the latch gives way.

With his new found ability to move, Jack pushes the metal straps open and slide down the gentle slant of the surface behind him to the floor. There is a distinct splash as his feet hit the ground causing him to look down. For the first time since awakening he notices his clothing, standard issue military fatigues complete with combat boots. _This isn't right…I'm retired…_

Jack remains quiet as he stays in a crouched position by metal table which once held him. His eyes search the darkness trying to figure out where he is just as his brain tries to remember how he got here. _Sam…_

"Sam?" He calls out in a loud whisper. He moves around to the left side of the table as his eyes continue their search. "Carter?" He slowly makes his way over to where his brain is telling him to go and walks into another table like the one he just escaped only this on is already empty. _This isn't right…. She was right here…_

From across the room a pop echoes followed by a low hiss as a small section of the wall slide up into the ceiling to reveal a figure shadowed by the golden light pouring in from behind it. Though whoever it is doesn't speak Jack can feel it eyes boring into him from the doorway

"What's going on here?" Jack rises to his feet as stares back at the figure. "Who are you? Why have you brought me here? Where's…"

"Silence!"

_No…_ The figure's low voice is all to familiar to Jack's ears. _It can't be…_

"You were foolish to think you could destroy me." The shadow's eyes flash golden for a moment as he steps closer and closer to his prisoner. "But you cannot destroy a God."

"Ra…" Jack can't hide the shock or contempt that fills his expression as figure steps into view. "You're dead. We all saw your ship blow."

"You saw what wanted you to see." Ra tilts his head slightly giving the man before him a look of smug satisfaction. "The loss of one ship is insignificant. And because of your actions Abydos has been eliminated along with you Earth."

"That's not how it happened." Jack looks around the dark room trying to figure out why this ludicrous scene was happening in a room that didn't suit it. Every fiber of his being told him that the room was familiar to him but it also told the man boy standing in front of him was dead. "This isn't real. You're dead."

An evil snarl of a grin spreads across Ra's face as raises his hand. "And soon you'll join me, O'Neill." The crystal of the God's ribbon device begins to glow as he places it against the other man's forehead.

_This can't be happening…_ Jack closes his eyes against the sharp pain that lances through his skull. The pain is both new and old to him but he doesn't understand why. All he can is cry out as every nerve is his body calls out for relief.

"Jack! Wake up!"

Jack bolts upright in his bed. He is bathed in sweat as the memory of the pain still pounds in his skull. His eyes dart around the room looking for his torturer but all they find is a slender figure in Air Force blue BDUs. "Sam?"

Sam cocks her head slightly giving him a half smirk. "Are you feeling okay, Colonel?"

_Colonel…?_ Jack is confused by the title in more ways than he can remember. "What time is it?"

"09:30." She answers as she folds her hands in front of her. "Did you forget about the meeting?"

Jack shakes his head as what seems like a thousand memories try to flood back into in brain. "Meeting? What meeting?"

"The one that you finally agreed to." Sam looks at him showing signs of concern. "We were going to go over your report from your Stargate mission. I mean I know you were hesitant at first but I thought you made a deal."

Jack rubs his still throbbing head as he shrugs his lapse of memory off.

"When I came see you, you said you would tell me everything you could remember about your mission if I went to dinner with you." Sam states matter-of-factly as her tone turns more agitated. "Now I gave you your dinner so you owe me that meeting."

"You've lost me." Jack shakes his head as he swings his legs over the side of the bed. "I don't know what deal you think we made…"

"I knew it." Sam sighs as crosses her arms over her chest. "I should have listened to everyone when they told me I was wasting my time. You are nothing more than a washed out, old drunk."

"Excuse me?" Jack's tone get sharp as he stands and looks at the woman by his door. "But I have know idea what the Hell you are talking about." He takes a few steps toward her almost expecting her to vanish before his eyes but she doesn't. "What is going on here? Something is seriously messed up."

Sam quickly glances of her shoulder before closing the gap between them. "Calm down, General. They're watching us."

"What?" He is taken off guard by her sudden change in demeanor. "Who's watching? What's going on?"

"I don't know." Sam is close enough to feel the warmth radiating off his body. "But until we can figure that out we can't let them know we know. We have to play this their way."

"Their way…?" _Soon you will accept that our way is the only way._ The words spring up in is mind as if he had just heard them. "No, Carter. We can't."


End file.
